CSA

We had a crazy November, and December has been pretty full too.  I have a few posts I need to do to catch up to where we are now, so I'll start with a food one!

In late November, we started our Winter/Early Spring share from Intervale Community Farm.  Every other week, we drive to ICF (just right outside Burlington) and pick up our share.  We chose this CSA (there are TONS to choose from in Vermont) for a couple of reasons:  

- I like that it's every other week.  That doesn't seem so overwhelming!

- We know one of the farmers there, so that's fun.

- Several friends use this CSA and really enjoy it.

- Most CSA's have a place where you meet them and are handed your basket for the week.  At ICF, you go to their farm and get to choose a lot of your share.  For instance, we get to choose 2 lbs of kale, spinach, or a mix.  This was probably the biggest selling point to me.  I can choose a bushel of sweet potatoes if I want that week.

So here's what we got the first week: mixed greens, brussel sprouts, spinach, kale, bibb lettuce, delicata squash, butternut squash, celeriac, turnips, sweet potatoes, beets, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, purple onions, and cabbage.

I did the math, and our CSA is cost us $35 every other week.  We started pickup late November and will go through until mid May (and then we will probably do the Summer/Fall CSA as well).  Even getting veggies at Trader Joe's (where they price per item and not by weight), I still think we came out ahead. 

Some of these veggies are easy to cook with.  I love squash so that's a no brainer.  But kale, turnips, and celeriac?  Much harder.  

Caveat:  I am not a food blogger and I'm not a photographer.  So these pictures are not very good.  But the food was good, so that's all that matters, right?

I LOVE brussel sprouts!  I didn't eat them last year because breastfeeding moms are supposed to stay away from cruciferous vegetables (e.g. brussel sprouts, broccoli).  I am loving eating them this year!  I roasted these and then topped them with a little lemon zest and fresh parmesan.

My favorite way thus far to use our CSA veggies is to throw them in a curry.  I mix a jar of Trader Joe's red curry simmer sauce with a can of coconut milk and throw in whatever root veggies I have on hand.  This curry has carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and spinach.  Bech used the mixed greens to make a salad with miso ginger dressing.

This is all Bech, and it was SO good.  Bech roasted the celeriac and then sliced it and cooked it a little more.  He then made a garlic dipping sauce.

A parsnip and garlic soup made by Eric, a friend who visited the week of Thanksgiving.  The picture makes it look very unappetizing.  I promise, it was good.  And a great way to use up our parsnips!

I stole this off of Eric's instagram.  Bech made curried potato fritters topped with cranberry chutney.

I use quesadillas the same way I use red curry--throw whatever veggies I want to use on it!  I have made several butternut squash quesadillas, but the other night I added roasted delicata squash.  

The other day, as Bech left for work, he told me to eat more kale.  That's a thing Vermonters say (and put on shirts and bumper stickers) so I thought he was kidding.  I laughed, and he said, "No really, we have a lot of kale; eat some."  

I've never been a kale fan, so I tried to think of creative uses.  We love homemade pizza, so I figured kale would be a good addition.  This is a pesto, mozzarella, and feta pizza with roasted kale added in.  SO good!  I have been roasting the kale and eating it plain lately.  It's really yummy that way. 

Not pictured, but other successful CSA uses: fall themed salad with roasted delicata squash, angel hair pasta with feta, bacon, and butternut squash, and lots of kale chips.

Grossest thing to date: turnip fries.  Never again...

We are loving our CSA!  If you have any recipe suggestions, send them my way.